FIU names real estate expert as its business school dean

With South Florida the “epicenter” of the nationwide housing crisis, Florida Global University lately employed a actual estate pro to lead its organization school.

William Hardin, 61, turned dean of the FIU College or university of Small business in early June, just after a calendar year as interim dean. His predecessor, Joanne Li, remaining to turn into chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

“I’m feeling very fantastic. I by now have a very good sense for what the work is, but getting appointed the permanent dean makes it a minor little bit a lot more serious,” mentioned Hardin, who was born and lifted in Charlotte, North Carolina, and invested about fifty percent of his everyday living in Atlanta before shifting to Florida.

Hardin claimed FIU Organization will consider to satisfy increasing need for packages in spots like knowledge analytics and cybersecurity — and logistics and provide chain administration, which absolutely everyone understands now due to the fact of the pandemic, he explained.

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Even now, the major challenge for FIU Business, Hardin claimed, stays figuring out how to have interaction pupils in a post-pandemic world.

“Technology adjusted how men and women, particularly youthful men and women, perspective the world. Men and women received applied to all types of alternatives for how to meet up with — or not meet — people today. But we want to get men and women again to engaging 1-on-a single in individual, since I think in individual is how we greatest build interactions,” he explained.

Hardin has worked at FIU for about 16 several years. He to start with joined in 2006 as a finance and authentic estate professor, as properly as the director of its true estate packages.

He held multiple roles considering that, like director of FIU’s Jerome Bain Genuine Estate Institute, which offers programs and conferences in the marketplace, and founding director of the Hollo School of Genuine Estate. In 2018, he grew to become the affiliate dean of the Chapman Graduate School of Business.

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During his occupation, he has authored or co-authored at least 70 papers on subject areas like foreclosures and company governance.

In 2018, he been given the Ricardo Medal from the American Authentic Estate Society — its best scholarship honor — for his published investigation.

FIU President Kenneth Jessell touted Hardin’s knowledge.

“Dean Hardin’s scholarly operate and nationally recognized experience in serious estate tends to make him a notably significant and suitable business leader in South Florida at this time,” Jessell stated.

Before transitioning to FIU, Hardin taught at Mississippi Condition University for 8 several years, Morehouse Higher education for three many years and Georgia Condition College for two decades. Just before delving into academia, Hardin spent about 7 years at NationsBank in Charlotte, now Lender of America.

He graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s in economics. He has a master’s in worldwide company from the College of South Carolina and a master’s in serious estate from Georgia Point out University. He retains a doctorate in business administration from Georgia State College.

3 things you may possibly not know about Hardin

An Olympic medal

He lived in Rio de Janeiro for a calendar year in the 1980s, simply because his master’s software in worldwide company at the College of South Carolina necessary it. He speaks Portuguese.

That language skill permitted him to volunteer as an envoy for the Portugal Olympics team all through the 1996 Summertime Olympic Online games in Atlanta.

“Everyone who does the Olympics will get a participation medal, all of the athletes. That calendar year seemingly they had some leftover, I guess, so as an envoy, I received 1,” Hardin stated. “That was a fantastic time for me.”

He enjoys Miami

“I like remaining in a place exactly where variety is champion. It definitely is a worldwide city,” Hardin stated. “I imagine that is pleasurable it’s attractive. And it’s the potential. The future is people today from all over the place coming jointly to progress humanity.”

“I’ve been to a ton of areas and discuss to a good deal of deans in various locations, and in Florida and Miami, we genuinely profit from our willingness to be inclusive and our cultural awareness.”

A spouse, father

He satisfied his spouse when they both worked in the very same intercontinental division of a bank they’ve been married for 35 many years. They have a daughter she attends the Emory College Faculty of Law in Atlanta.

This story was originally published July 15, 2022 7:05 PM.